Robin Williams made his Broadway acting debut in Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which officially opened March 31 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Williams plays the title character, the tiger, in a drama that is described as a “savagely funny and deeply affecting play.” According to press notes, “A tiger haunts the streets of present-day Baghdad seeking the meaning of life.” The tiger “witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war,” encountering “Americans and Iraqis who are searching for friendship, redemption and a toilet seat made of gold.”

The rest of the cast includes Glenn Davis as Tom, an American Marine who plunders local riches; Brad Fleischer as Kev, a Marine broken by war; Hrach Titizian as the ghost of Uday Hussein and others; Sheila Vand in multiple roles; Necar Zadegan in multiple roles; and Arian Moayed as Musa, an Iraqi gardener (and witness to atrocities) now serving as a translator for American forces.